Solid energetic materials are used to power rockets as solid rocket propellant motors as well as in the explosives industry. These materials are often manufactured in large batches and, in the case of rocket motors, cast into large blocks or formed in situ in large motor casings. Many times through age or for other reasons such materials must be disposed of or new uses for the materials must be found. Such alternative uses or disposal techniques invariably require that the material be converted into a more manageable size.
In view of the nature of these energetic materials and the dangers associated with handling them it is important to be able not only to reduce the size of the individual blocks of energetic material, but to do it safely and economically. Therefore what is needed in this art is a safe, inexpensive means to form smaller units of energetic material from larger ones.